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Thunderbolt

Timmy wants to know if he can get firewire for his Windows laptop? He has a mixer that is firewire based. Leo says you want to be looking at Thunderbolt moving forward, and you can get a cable for about $30 that will adapt Firewire to Thunderbolt. Thunderbolt is the future, and that will future proof your hardware.

Peter bought a new iMac, but when it goes to sleep, it can't wake up his two other 5K displays. Leo says he has the same problem. Sometimes he logs out and logs back in and that works, other times he unplugs it and plugs it back in. What's happening is that the monitor isn't sensing the signal and it won't wake up without it.

Don has a Thunderbolt display that turns off randomly. He hears that it's an overheating issue. Jason says that a Thunderbolt display is like its own computer, and if the fans have become clogged or defective, it could be turning off. It may be an expensive fix, to the point where it would be cheaper to just buy a new one. Finding a local guy who could fix it may be the most affordable option.

Matthew wants to transfer old files from his old computer to his new computer. Leo says that Matthew can use an ethernet cable, Firewire or even Thunderbolt and put the old computer into "target disk mode." This will treat his old Mac as a hard drive that will mount on the new Mac. Then it's just a simple drag and drop of his files.

Target Disk Mode is a simple and efficient way to move files from one Mac to another. This can be used if your Mac won't boot and you need to get files off of it. Or you could transfer files onto a Mac this way, just as you would with an external hard drive. Here's how to take advantage of this convenient feature built into OS X:

Dennis has an old iMac from 2006 and he's having problems getting it to boot up. How can he move files from the old Mac to his new Mac? Leo says that there's a utility option called "Target Disk Mode." Press and hold "T" on startup and it'll put the Mac into Target Disk Mode. This means the Mac will appear as an external hard drive to the computer it's connected to.

Jerry has a MacBook Pro and bought a pair off brand Cinema displays. But the MacBook Pro can't power them. Leo says that MiniDisplay port will do it. But Apple has replaced that with Thunderbolt 2. He'll just need the right cable. Most monitors don't have Thunderbolt. DVI ports are a possibility, but he'll need an adapter to handle it. Monoprice is a good place to look.

Bob is replacing a PC laptop and docking station with a 13" Mac Pro with Retina. He needs docking stations on both ends with external monitors and network connections. Leo says that Apple doesn't do docking stations anymore. Thunderbolt monitors will handle the external part with connectors for keyboards and monitors. All he'll need to do is plug it in. He won't even have to open the MacBook Pro.

Dana got an ElGato EyeTV and wants to know if he can use it with his television. Leo says no, that's actually a TV tuner for a computer. It's a great device, but if he wants to stream video on the internet, then a Roku box is a better option.